


Broke Astronaut Space Nerds

by crystalkei



Category: The Martian (2015)
Genre: F/M, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-01-18
Packaged: 2018-05-14 17:29:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5751913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalkei/pseuds/crystalkei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“So People Magazine wants to pay us $5000 for exclusive wedding photos,” Beth said.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Broke Astronaut Space Nerds

“So People Magazine wants to pay us $5000 for exclusive wedding photos,” Beth said, scrolling through her email on her phone as she leaned against the kitchen counter. 

“Shit,” Chris exclaimed around his mouthful of Cheerios. “We’ve been home for two years, I didn’t know anyone cared anymore.” 

“It’s eight grand if we let them send their own photographer, that sounds like the better plan to me. I haven’t had time to find one.”

“My sister knows a guy,” he said, standing up to rinse his cereal bowl.

“Yeah, she sent me a text, I just haven’t called him.”   
  
“Still a line in that code that’s being ‘squirrely?’” Chris teased. It had been four in the morning when she’d explained the problem that had been keeping her at work every night so her vocabulary resembled that of an old lady’s. 

“Yes.” She glared at him then back at her phone. “All we have to do is sign a waiver. God, that’s a lot of money.”    
  
“And we’re broke,” Chris added. Even planning a small wedding was rough. Not so much the money but definitely the time it was taking. They were both so swamped at work that all wedding things went incredibly slow. “It’s never more clear that NASA is a government funded agency than when payday rolls around.” 

“How invasive do you think it would be? Would the guy hate the shots he got and make me re-walk down the aisle or…?”

“Let’s get a reality show out of this,” Chris joked and Beth gave him a pity smile. 

“Literally no one in the galaxy would watch you two boring nerds,” Mark interrupted from his spot on the couch. 

They both scoffed offended. 

“You hang out here all the time, we can’t get rid of you,” Chris said.

“You’re here every other night to watch the reality show that is our life, so nice try, jackass.” Beth picked up a plastic fork to throw at his head but Chris grabbed her wrist. 

“I don’t want to stitch anyone up tonight," he explained when she made a face at him. 

“It’s a plastic fork, like it would do any damage.”

“Just do the People magazine thing,” Watney said flipping through the channels. “Then maybe you can write a book all about your  _ courtship _ , I’ll bet you can get an advance big enough to cover a down payment on a house, Beck, I know you want a house.”

“You want a house? Here in Houston?” Beth’s eyes got wide. Chris pressed his lips together. 

“He’s got a list of like seven houses. He sits on the couch while we’re watching PBS and browses,” Watney piped up again. 

“How long has that been going on?” she asked 

“Not that long,” he said his face scrunched up. “It’s not a big deal.” 

“I got it!” Mark shouted from the couch. “House Hunters! You guys can go on House Hunters and they’ll cover the downpayment.” 

“Those shows are all a lie,” Chris balked. “The people don’t even choose the houses on TV, it’s a setup.” 

“But do they pay you?” Mark asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“Get out, Watney!” Chris pointed to the door. Mark looked at Beth for support but she was nodding. 

“I’m a perfectly thrilling house guest. I have made great contributions to this conversation,” Mark defended. 

“We’re gonna have loud sex on that very spot that you’ve been sitting in,” she deadpanned. He scrunched up his nose in disgust. 

“Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve heard you two have sex somewhere I sat.” 

“He’s still mad about that time we had sex on his chair on the bridge,” Chris said with a shrug.    
  
“Everyone is still mad about that,” Beth said. She was long past being embarrassed, especially when the point was to get Mark out of their apartment.    
  
“It’s been years, you think they’d get over it.”     
  
“The rest of us weren’t having sex regularly so it was really rude.” Mark stormed out of the apartment.

Beth scrubbed her eyes. “So a list of houses, huh?”

“Not like huge or anything, but when we went to that barbeque at Martinez’s last month there was one down the street from him, I came home and looked it up.” 

Now Beth smiled wide. 

“You want to live down the street from Martinez,” she said, punctuating it with an “Aw.” 

“No, we’re getting married, I just thought a house, ya know, having kids in apartments is shitty. I want a yard and I dunno, like a dog or something.” 

“Or you want to live down the street from Martinez,” she prodded again, a teasing smile on her face as she leaned against him and cupped his face. 

“That house sold three days after I bookmarked it. It’s a good school district.”

“Oh my god, you’re hardcore about house shopping,” she said with a laugh. “A good school district. Was it an open floor plan? Did it have double sinks?”

“Shut up.” He put his hands around her waist and she leaned in further. 

“You’re cute, Dr. Beck,” Beth said. He kissed her and she sighed. "Houses are expensive." 

"Better let People send a photographer."

"I could go on the lecture circuit, Lewis is making a killing doing that," Beth suggested. 

"You can't lecture while wearing a hoodie," Chris said with a laugh. 

"I have nice clothes."

"We share a closet. No, you don't."

"I'm beginning to see the house appeal, we could have our own closets." Beth smacked his chest and turned back to pick up her phone. "Teenagers would love me, also I'm hot."

"Both those things are true but I don't think high schools are where the money is to be made on the lecture circuit."

"Right, it's at places like Google. Wait, Google,” she said snapping her fingers. “I should get a job at Google!"

"You're overqualified. That's what you said when they offered you a job 18 months ago." 

“Yeah, also I don’t want to move back to California.”

“The programmer prefers Tex Mex to that baja stuff?” he teased.

“If you tell my mother she will disown me.” Beth gave him a look of warning. “So I guess we stay in Houston.” 

“We’ll celebrate with Shipley Donuts tomorrow,” Beck offered. 

“I’m telling People they can send their guy. Let’s go to bed and you can show me your current list of houses,” Beth grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the bedroom while she fiddled with her phone. 

“Do you want to see the dream list or the ones we can actually afford,” he said following her. 

“Both. We made one big decision tonight, deciding on the photographer, let’s dream a little about the fancy houses.” 

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
